NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 293, 30 August 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE BATTLE

TUE ADVANCE ON BAPAUME

CAPTURE OF LOUPART WOOD

(Special Dispatch from the New Zealand Official War Correspondent.)

August 24. Shortly before 2 a.m. there was' a crescendo of artillery, which at one time developed into a great roar, in which you couldn't qount the reports of the guns. At the same time the hum of the aeroplanes overhead in the moonlight indicated' important operations 911 our part and another busy day for Hindeiiburg. Late in tho evening we heard that the New Zealand Force had been ordered to.exploit the success towards Bapaume, a'ncl that our troops were to concentrate at certain map references. To-day the iNorth and South Island troops were to do the fighting. Ahead of us, beyond Achiet-le-Petit and Achiet-le-Grand, toward the south-west, were tho positions that would be likely to give trouble—Loupart Wood, GrevillerSj and lieifyiliers. These were the strong points in tho forefront of the Bapaumo defences'. The first attacking force started at a quarter past four in the morning, without a barrage. Indeed, there was scarcely time to work out the intricate details of the barrage, and luckily it was not altogether essential. The enemy had been tremendously worried during the past three days, and lie had been busy getting his guns back for fear of capture. His infantry, fighting a rearguard action, without tanks and with little artillery support, were in for bad times. Our own artillery was giving him no peace wherever a target could be found. The New Zealand field guns had been well advanced, and some of them were practically moving forward with the infantry. Capture of Loupart Wood. "- In the first attacking force the Wellington troops were oil the right and the Aucklanders on the left. The first check came in front of Loupart Wood, where for a time there was hot fighting. Several fell under the German machine-gun fire, but the irresistible New Zealanders, who at the zero hour could be seen to advance as calmly aa if they were going for a njorning stroll, were not to be denied, and before very long the wood was ours. Then the advancing waves pushed on towards Grevillers, where it was thought there were more machine-guns. Men from an English division that was forming a defensive flank on our right assisted in the capture of the village. Away ahead, on the left, were the few ruined houses of Beifvillers, and troops from both North and South Island units were soon engaged with the enemy here. Beifvillers met the same fate as its sister village, and our troops pushed on towards Bapaume. Meantime they had killed and wounded many Germands. Indeed, many of the wounded that I saw our bearers and ambulance bringing back for some time were Germans. In addition wo captured somehundreds of prisoners. Still pushing on, our men got to within a thousand yards of Bapaume itself, and.possibly' they could have taken it to-day; but tho salient was becoming too narrow, and the direct attack was not for the time being persisted in, but in my opihioh it is a's certain as anything can be that Bapaume will fall. Perhaps it will fall to-morro-v.

Soon after midday a forward observing officer reported that tanks with German infantry were seen operating toward Bapaume, so possibly tho enemy will endeavour to make a stand there, or _ attempt a counter-attack from the ruined town. As it is, he has driven our outposts in a few hundred yards to-day, but wo do not fear his counterattack, as apparently ho cannot support it with anything like a heavy artillery barrage. In the meantime we are shelling Bapaumo with everything we can put on to it. Some of our observers also reported that the Huns were massing in a square some distance back.

"Have you told the heavies?" asked a staff officer. • "Yes, , replied the bearer of the news.

"Well, tell tho heavies to knock spots off them for an hour,' , added the staff officer.

a very brief space of timo the heavies were firing, and wo watched a line of smoke and dust rising in the air.

The tanks assisted in to-day's fighting, and. did oxcellent work. I saw two wounded monsters waddling /hack in the afternoon, but, notwithstanding tllis, there were few casualties among the personnel. For this fight wo advanced our headquarters sevoral miles to certain dug-outs last night. Wβ established, a report post—a sort of advanced headquarters—still farther on. Wandering over tho battlefield this morning, I came upon a somewhat unique establishnient, in tho shape of a hole in the ground in the brokendown trench that contained a litter of odds and ends left behind by the onemy. This dug-out had originally been made by the Boche, and was now occupied bjr iwo membors of tho New Zealand staff and ouo clerk. A telephone leading out to various units was in action, the insulated wires having been run out along the ground over trenches and shell craters.